OPINION: Now, if that ain’t a roll in the trash

The Elbert board averted their eyes from the passionately angry crowd. They said nothing. They offered no explanation, no support for their position, no reassurance to the crowd that what they planned was a good thing for the county and region.

The tone of the meeting was really nasty at times, but the crowd’s fury was met with an even nastier silence from the BOC that betrayed much more than good decorum.

Yes, there was quite a scene in Elberton Feb. 8 The Superior Courtroom was packed, with an overflow crowd filling a nearby room. There were numerous clicking cameras, deputies stationed at the doors and at various places around the room. A radio commentator sat in the back of the courtroom broadcasting the event a little too loudly. A vast majority of those on hand wore yellow “No incinerator, no landfill” stickers on their shirts. The number “3,520” was added to many stickers, signifying how many people had signed a petition calling for a referendum on the incinerator. Representatives of GreenFirst, the company pushing the incinerator, sat on the front row, dressed in suits. There were numerous shouts from the audience. There was talk of hell and who deserved to go. There was a strange personal exchange between the county manager’s wife and an incinerator opponent, the manager’s wife claiming something about the other’s husband having the Cokes taken out of the teachers’ lounge. What that had to do with incinerators escapes me, but it underscored the deep personal angst in the room.

One person after another took to the podium to oppose the plan. They urged the board to think of their children’s health. They questioned why the commissioners were moving so quickly to please the people in suits in the front row, why they seemed so deaf to the residents who will actually live near the incinerator. They pleaded for the group to let the people have a referendum on the matter — or, at least slow down, give it more time, let an independent group gather information on the pros and cons. For instance, why not collect data for the public on how much mercury and other toxins would actually be emitted from the plant and how far such pollutants are expected to spread? Some opponents spoke in calm, measured tones. Some let their anger bubble over. Opponents said the contract between commissioners and the company was a “rape” of Elbert County. They suggested the county change its name to “GreenFirst County.”

When commissioners had heard enough, they shut off the comments and voted unanimously in favor of every measure that will usher in a trash incinerator that will sit about 1.25 miles from the Madison County line and the Broad River. They offered no comments. As the votes were cast, several angry opponents held up a cartoon sketch that showed the commissioners as puppets dangling on strings beneath a big hand (GreenFirst).

The collective wrath was intense, brash. It’s reasonable to assume that the BOC was later congratulated by GreenFirst officials for withstanding the collective fury. And most anyone doused with such a soaking animosity has to feel like a victim.

But if the Elbert County board members feel victimized, they have it backwards. Say what you will about Madison County commissioners — and many of you love to say a lot of things — they at least have the guts to speak up before a huge vote on a controversial matter. I’ve disagreed with our BOC’s actions on some matters, but I respect when someone lays out their reasons for a vote, whether I approve or disapprove. And Madison County commissioners are generally pretty good about this. If you have a big development proposed for the county that generates significant community uproar, you can expect them to offer public comments prior to their vote. Sometimes they go the other way and get long-winded. I expected that Monday in Elbert County and was struck by the brazen omission, the complete lack of acknowledgment of the widespread anguish they’ve caused.

Really, it’s the least any elected official could do. We may disagree with them, but elected representatives owe a public explanation on matters of grave importance to the public. Anything less is a betrayal of the basic contract elected officials have with the public. That said, I was disappointed not to see any Madison County commissioners at Monday’s meeting. I guess it’s poor etiquette to attend another board’s meeting to exert any pressure. But while politicians may recognize political boundaries, environmental pollutants don’t. And some eastern Madison County residents will be closer to this incinerator than some Elbert County citizens. But those Madison County residents most affected don’t have any representation in this matter.

Many of them are very troubled about pollution from this incinerator. So, where can they find a peace of mind? Well, here’s the answer proponents give: trust the federal government to protect you. A faith in federal permitting will guide you through your doubts about your children’s future health. I find the “trust-the-government” answer quite ironic, considering all the local lack of faith in the federal government these days.

All that aside, this issue is far from over. Now, comes a legal battle. Elbert County is already being sued by a separate landfill company that was overlooked in favor of the incinerator. The attorney for that company rattled off a long list of alleged protocol violations after Monday’s meeting, maintaining the BOC had rushed the incinerator vote and broken procedural requirements.

Meanwhile, a group of citizens opposing the incinerator turned in a petition to the Elbert County Probate Court Monday morning, seeking a referendum on the incinerator. Whether any legal claims against the incinerator have any merit, any real stopping power remains to be seen.

But remember this: Elbert County taxpayers will likely need deep pockets to fight their own commissioners, who’ll foot the legal bill against the citizens’ effort with the citizens’ own tax money.

Now, if that ain’t a roll in the trash, I don’t know what is.

Zach Mitcham is editor of The Madison County Journal.